INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image caption
Lakshmi Devi's son died due to a drug overdose
The northern Indian state of Punjab has
witnessed a sharp increase in the number of drug-related deaths this year
TheIndianSubcontinent Punjabi's Arvind Chhabra investigates why the drug menace has become worse in the state."He was my only son, but I had
Her son, Ricky Lahoria, recently died of a drug overdose
His was one of 60 deaths linked to drug abuse in Punjab between January and June 2018, according to official estimates
In comparison, 30 people died in drug-related incidents in all of 2017
Police officials say that the number is likely to increase when they release data for the second half of 2018
Drugs have been a scourge in Punjab for years now - once a transit point on the drug route, the state has now become a major consumer base
Punjab's health minister Brahm Mohindra told the TheIndianSubcontinent his government had reduced the inflow of drugs into the state
But he could not explain why drugs had claimed more lives in 2018 than in previous years
"It's not clear what concoction is causing [the] deaths
But so many deaths have happened
It is a serious and unfortunate thing," he said.The All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi conducted the first comprehensive study
in 2015 to estimate the magnitude of drug addiction in Punjab - and the report concluded that there were more than 200,000 addicts in the
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Drug deaths in Punjab have soared in 2018
Ms Devi says Ricky
started using drugs when he was still in school and, eventually, he dropped out
In the early days, he was addicted to cough syrups and injections but he gradually turned to heroin, locally known as chitta.At one point,
his mother recalls, Ricky wanted to quit and even asked her for help
But she did not know that a rehab centre was an option."I just took him to a regular hospital, where he died after three days," she
says.'Champagne of intoxicants'Data from various government departments shows that the problem seems to have got worse in recent
years.According to police records, 303kg of heroin was seized from the beginning of 2018 until 15 October
Only 191kg of heroin was seized from January to December 2017
The TheIndianSubcontinent spoke to police officers, border security forces and intelligence officials to understand how drugs are
distributed and consumed in the state.Image:The cost of Punjab's heroin epidemicThey say the most commonly abused drugs in Punjab are the
three opium derivatives - raw opium, poppy husk and heroin - followed by medications sold over the counter
But addicts often see heroin as the "champagne of intoxicants"
Like champagne, heroin is costly
pharmaceuticals" is more common in cities, heroin is "more prevalent in rural areas", says Sukhchain Singh, the police commissioner of
Despite its hefty price tag, heroin remains popular among addicts regardless of social class and income
Police told the TheIndianSubcontinent that this was because many of them also turned to peddling as a source of income
Others simply steal to support their habit
"Our jewellery and household goods started vanishing as he would take away and sell whatever items he could lay his hands on," one woman,
whose son died due to addiction, told the TheIndianSubcontinent
The porous borderThe border fence that separates India and Pakistan is clearly visible from the rooftops of houses in Dhanoa Kalan village
Border security forces and police officers can be seen patrolling the streets and some of them are dressed as civilians.Image caption
Sukhdev Singh says famers often find white packets containing drugs in their fields
The village is home to
about 1,400 adults and about 150 of them cultivate farm land beyond the border fence, which puts their fields in no man's land
So these farmers cross the border almost every day and they are searched by the security forces when they return
Sometimes, they find packets of drugs in their fields
"Last year, a farmer spotted some packets containing a white powder and he informed border security officers," says Sukhdev Singh, a former
village chief.Mr Singh says this has happened a few times
"We don't know who does it and how," he adds.Security officers say smugglers often hurl packets of drugs across the border - and some
Farmers also make cavities in their tools to hide the drugs, making it hard to detect them."All that the farmers have to do is carry these
Once it's inside Indian territory, couriers pick up these packets from the farmers," says an Indian intelligence officer, speaking on the
condition of anonymity.Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Security forces routinely seize drugs at the
India-Pakistan border
The couriers, he adds, then transport the packets to distributors in different cities
Police say they have discovered tunnels along the border that are used by smugglers
The entire process relies on secrecy - most of those who are involved don't know who the kingpin is or even the names of couriers or
All of this makes it hard to trace the smugglers who are running the operation, say security officials
International networkAbout 20 battalions of India's Border Security Force (BSF) guard the border
But officers say smugglers sneak in through gaps in the fence or during dense fog in the winter.In May 2017, police in Ludhiana city
revealed that some farmers had Sim cards from Pakistan so that they could talk to smugglers across the border.In July the following year,
customs officers in Amritsar city seized packets of heroin concealed in the empty wagons attached to a goods train that had arrived from
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Gangs often place pipes along the border fence to smuggle drugs
"Most of the heroin comes from Afghanistan to India via Pakistan," says Rajesh Kumar Jaiswal, inspector general of the Punjab police force
that investigates drug smuggling
Punjab has become a major part of the so-called opium drug route that is now used for transporting heroin as well
Officials say smugglers use different routes to enter India, choosing between Punjab, Rajasthan or Indian-administered Kashmir
"If there's pressure on the Punjab border then they shift to Rajasthan and if there's pressure there, they move elsewhere," Mr Jaiswal adds
"While [the] India-Pakistan border has been the usual route, we have seized narcotic consignments even from Delhi
And they could be arriving in Delhi from any border."Nexus with security forcesThe local police and security agencies have also been accused
In June 2016, the federal government's junior home minister, Kiren Rijiju, said in parliament that 68 employees of the Punjab police and
other security forces were arrested due to their involvement in the drug trade
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Middlemen are also frequently arrested in different cities of Punjab
Two deputy superintendents of police have also been arrested in recent months on similar charges
Senior officers acknowledge the problem, adding that they are taking strict action against such officers
So, what is the solutionHealth officials say the state needs to open more rehab centres for addicts as there are too few existing ones
While there are 90 private rehab centres, there are only 50 that are run by the government
The government has been running awareness campaigns in schools and colleges
But most families in rural areas do not know about rehab centres or how they can turn lives around
And the stigma associated with drugs often stops people from seeking help.There are also attempts to understand what drives the youth of
Punjab to drugs.One survey of drug addiction, conducted by the Society for Promotion of youth and masses in the state said the biggest
reason for people to start trying drugs was "fun", followed by "peer pressure"
A second study, conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences also pointed to peer pressure
"Punjab needs a three-pronged strategy to reduce supply, demand and consumption," says Dr D Basu, a psychiatrist who has studied drug
Until then, he adds, stories like Ms Devi's will remain all too familiar."[Ricky] would sell whatever he could lay his hands on to buy
"I wanted him to lead a normal life, have a family and earn enough for them
I felt so helpless, so broken whenever he became unconscious after taking drugs
He would forget where he was and what he was doing."In those moments, I would just wish and pray that he would die
But now I regret my words."
